VOL.81/2025.04

 

Black Fish

The virtuous influence of liberal arts books on raising society’s intellectual level

 

2025.02.17

 

Books are more than just a collection of knowledge - in each genre, they play an important role in enlightening readers, instilling life values, and spreading good influence. In particular, liberal arts books are valuable in that they contribute to the development of society as a whole and further enhance readers’ knowledge and intellectual level in areas that are closely connected to our lives, such as culture, history, and art. Deeply understanding the importance of these books, Black Fish strives to help readers improve their quality of life through valuable and meaningful knowledge. It aims to help readers broaden their perspectives on the world and envision a better future, not just to deliver information. Black Fish’s books, carefully researched and thoughtfully produced, are designed to help readers gain new insights and satisfy their intellectual curiosity in the smallest moments of daily life.

 

 

It’s a pleasure to have you with us on K-Book Trends. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers along with the meaning of the company’s name?

 

“Black Fish” is a humanities and liberal arts publishing brand of Bacdoci Co., Ltd., which has been publishing books in the fields of arts, humanities, history, and science in an enjoyable and accessible style, starting with sociologist Oh Chan-Ho’s Not Okay at All in January 2018. After launching “Hummingbird,” a non-fiction label, in 2012 and “Watering Child,” a children and parenting label, in 2015, the brand was launched after three years of preparation, and has published more than 60 books to date.
Black Fish aims to offer new perspectives through knowledge and cultural content that are closely connected to the lives of its readers, much like the orca navigating the vast sea. It doesn’t leave the humanities and culture as difficult and abstract concepts, but instead presents them in a language that can be easily applied to daily life, fostering communication with readers. Through practical books that help solve everyday concerns or make better choices, Black Fish seeks to allow readers to experience real change, with the goal of enriching their lives by providing useful yet profound knowledge.

 

 

Black Fish is publishing books in a variety of fields, including history, art, and science. The company’s motto is to “publish humanities and liberal arts for a better life.” Could you elaborate on what you mean by “better lives” that Black Fish believes can be achieved through books?

 

First, we plan detailed and actionable content that goes beyond the simple transfer of knowledge to help readers deepen their understanding of themselves and the world through books and take ownership of their lives. We want to help our readers gain new perspectives and deeper insights by exposing them to knowledge and liberal arts from various fields. For example, history books give us the power to understand the past, analyze the present, and plan for the future. Science books make it easy to understand complex phenomena and contribute to the development of logical thinking. And, humanities books help readers think flexibly and cultivate a challenging spirit.
Second, we value mental well-being and inner growth beyond mere success or material goals. We create content that helps readers discover their values and find direction in their lives through books.
And, third, we try to provide readers with the opportunity to empathize more deeply with themselves, others, and the world. Such empathy can be translated into action in their daily lives, fueling them to change their lives for the better.

 

It seems that liberal arts books require careful planning, given their wide range of topics. What does Black Fish focus on when planning a book?

 

We are most focused on discovering topics that relate directly to our readers’ lives. We want our books to provide readers with new insights so they can make real changes in their lives. In this process, we balance the uniqueness of the topic with its applicability. We avoid topics that are too familiar and, therefore, likely to lose readers’ interest. Conversely, we stay away from topics that are too unfamiliar, which makes it difficult to connect with readers. These criteria are part of our efforts to strengthen our connection with readers and ensure that our books provide tangible value to their lives.
We also pay close attention to how we deliver the content. Breaking down complex or specialized content in a way that readers can easily understand and enjoy is at the core of our planning - which is why we try to find Korean authors whenever possible. It’s because they are able to create content that is familiar and relatable to our readers’ emotional and cultural backgrounds.

 

 

We strive to ensure that Black Fish’s books add tangible value to our readers’ lives.

 

 

We think that “books that help people become more knowledgeable and cultured in their daily lives” can help us move forward in a positive way. Are there any books published by Black Fish that you would recommend that are particularly relevant to our daily lives today?

 

Lee Kwan-Gyeol’s Freak Chemistry Book features science terms that we all learned about in textbooks, such as acids, bases, and neutralization reactions, but had a headache just reading about them. It’s a liberal arts book on science that invites readers who know nothing about science to experience the joy of daily chemistry. The author, a professor of chemistry at Korea University and the owner of the “Chemistry for All” channel, the number one most subscribed premium content channel on Naver, entertainingly explains the chemical tricks and principles behind everyday chores that everyone goes through. The book was immediately offered by a Taiwanese publisher upon its release and was published in Taiwan in December 2024.
How to Use the Vocabulary of a Master features tips for upgrading your vocabulary from Kim Seon-Young, author of the bestselling book Adults’ Literacy. This book offers 30 exercises to improve your vocabulary, transforming readers from simple language users to master communicators who can accurately express their feelings and thoughts. Aimed at addressing the growing problem of declining vocabulary and literacy among people, this book will help readers break free from a monotonous language that relies on “daebak” (a slang term used when someone is greatly impressed by something that has happened) and “heol” (a slang term used to express mild surprise or shock).
And, last but not least, Global Environment Lessons With a Calendar by Choi Won-Hyung is a humanities book on the environment that explains environmental issues in a fun and interesting way using 51 anniversaries around the world. It sheds fresh light on global issues we face, such as heat waves, cold waves, fine dust, pandemics, labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, poverty, and refugees, from an environmental perspective. It asks questions such as, “Is it okay to take animal lives for the betterment of humans?” and “How can the world have equal access to clean water?”, inspiring deep insights and discussions for readers.

 

 

We believe that liberal arts are most valuable when they not only help individuals grow, but also attain social value. Could you please tell us what Black Fish is doing to communicate with more readers?

 

Actively utilizing digital platforms is the most important factor these days. We create content that concisely and visually conveys the core message of the book and interact with readers in real-time on Social Media platforms such as Naver Blog, Instagram, and X. We also plan reader-participation events and programs to provide an interactive experience with the book. We also organize book talks, lectures, historical tours with the author, online lectures, and authors’ appearances on YouTube to create opportunities for readers to have a deeper understanding of the book’s content and share their thoughts.

 

Black Fish publishes a wide range of genres, including science, architecture, art, and history, providing an abundance of reading experiences. What do you think is the appeal of each genre?

 

Science stimulates rational thinking and curiosity in the midst of complex phenomena, offering readers new ways of looking at problems. Architecture makes us think about how to better design human life through space and structure. Art stirs emotions and imagination, and provides aesthetic experiences rarely encountered in everyday life. It also has the power to expand our creativity and foster our own unique perspectives. History provides insight into the past to understand the present and predict the future. History is not just a recounting of events, but a process of learning life wisdom through human experience and choices.
It’s important to produce books across different fields to empower readers to understand the world in different ways and apply methods that work for them. After all, within the larger framework of the liberal arts, they help enrich and diversify the lives of individual readers.

 

We recently heard that Black Fish’s Social Media accounts have been integrated with the “Watering Child” label. Could you tell us a little bit about “Watering Child” and the philosophy behind it, which envisions a “place where mothers and children grow together”?

 

“Watering Child” centers on content that helps mothers and children grow together. Just like how we water and care for seeds to grow, we seek to provide the environment and lessons for children to grow up healthy and happy. We hope to inspire intellectual curiosity and sensitivity in children through our books, and to provide parents with wisdom on how to communicate with and raise their children.

 

 

We are organizing a variety of events and programs to help readers experience a connection with books.

 

 

How does Black Fish stay competitive and differentiated in the face of changing market conditions such as digitalization?

 

We are actively making not only videos and card-style articles that can convey the message of a book in a short and effective way, but also e-books and audiobooks. Also, we are aggressively introducing the feature of listening and reading books using QR codes. For example, Oh Su-Hyun’s Classical Music With a Story, winner of the Excellence Award at the Digital K-book Award in 2023, embeds QR codes in the text so that readers can read the story and still appreciate the music at the same time throughout the book. As such, we are maximizing the attractiveness of physical books by making them into books that readers want to keep, with unique designs and special production specifications, to appeal to readers who prefer paper books even in a digital environment.

 

Several books published by Black Fish have been particularly helpful in promoting and understanding Korean culture. Do you have any recommendations for books you would like to introduce to international readers?

 

Art of the Joseon Dynasty is a one-of-a-kind book that captures both folk and court paintings from the Joseon Dynasty at the height of its culture in one book. The author, Tak Hyun-Kyu, is one of the foremost commentators on ancient art, wowing audiences with his lectures. In this book, he has selected more than 50 paintings that encapsulate the hallmarks of the late Joseon Dynasty, which enjoyed a period of great prosperity. Featuring works by 7 genius Joseon artists, including Gyeomjae Jeong Seon, Danwon Kim Hong-Do, and Hyewon Shin Yun-Bok, as well as archival paintings depicting court events from the reigns of King Sukjong and King Yeongjo, this is a unique art book that offers a balanced view of Joseon society.
Bae Ki-Sung’s Uncomfortable Korean History unearths the truth behind the events that changed the course of history from ancient times to Goryeo and Joseon, exciting stories that spark readers’ imaginations, and events that don’t appear in textbooks but have great historical significance. The stories are based on actual historical records, with the author’s imagination adding to the narrative to create an immersive drama.

 

 

We believe that cultivating a knowledgeable and cultured mind ultimately contributes to raising the standard of society. Could you tell us about the direction Black Fish hopes to take, future goals, and plans for new titles?

 

Black Fish will continue to release content that stimulates readers’ intellectual curiosity through books and contributes not only to individual growth, but also to social values. Our goal is not just to publish books, but to create a future where readers and society grow together through books. We plan to expand our content to engage with readers of different generations and backgrounds beyond our existing readership. In particular, we will actively explore trendy topics and formats that appeal to the younger generation, and strive to make liberal arts accessible to all, rather than being reserved for a certain audience.
In terms of new titles, we plan to cover not only the major genres, such as science, art, and history, but also topics that are currently gaining attention, such as the environment and psychology. We are also very interested in exporting rights through the discovery and development of Korean authors. With dozens of essays exported through Black Fish and its sister brand “Hummingbird,” we hope to show that Korean humanities content has the potential to be connected with global readers.

 

 

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